Distinctively U of A

The Faculty of Native Studies, Canada’s only such faculty, provides
undergraduate programs specializing in the study of Aboriginal experiences and
issues of language, culture, land, and resources.

The U of A Libraries is Canada’s second-largest research library, with a collection exceeding 4.7 million titles and over 8.7 million volumes. It provides access to more than 1.3 million e-books, over 1,700 databases, and more than 40,000 items in the university's Education and Research Archive.

The U of A continues to be a leader in the delivery of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, supplementing the wildly popular Dino 101 and Understanding Video Games offerings with Mountains 101, a MOOC jointly offered by Science and Physical Education and Recreation, in partnership with Parks Canada; and Indigenous Canada, which explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada.

U of A Museums is a distributed network of 29 diverse collections, totalling
more than 17 million objects housed in 120 locations within departments
across campus, from art and archeology to paleontology and zoology.

In 2015, the U of A was chosen to house the $27-million Canadian Glycomics Network (GlycoNet). The network harnesses industry and academic expertise—60 researchers at 22 institutions—and leverages the U of A's long history and immense expertise in carbohydrate research to develop treatments for conditions ranging from genetic diseases to influenza.

The Peter Lougheed Leadership College offers students an inclusive, interdisciplinary undergraduate leadership development program
designed to forge leaders through formal and co-curricular learning,
engagement, and mentorship. Headed by founding principal and former
Canadian prime minister Kim Campbell, the college is part of an initiative
between the U of A and The Banff Centre to create one of the world’s pre-eminent
leadership development programs.

The Medical Isotope and Cyclotron Facilityis revolutionizing how medical isotopes are manufactured, establishing the U of A as a centre of excellence in medical cyclotron research. The facility produces a safe, reliable supply of isotopes used in 80 per cent of nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures.